‘Books that shaped me’: Rajesh Jejurikar shares his 2025 reading list

Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO (Auto and Farm Sector) at the Mahindra Group, has shared a curated list of books that influenced his thinking in 2025. In a reflective New Year post on LinkedIn, Jejurikar revisited the ideas, narratives, and perspectives that shaped his outlook over the past year.

Wishing readers a happy 2026, he described the list as a personal compilation spanning geopolitics, history, fiction, leadership, wellness, technology, and global affairs. In total, the Mahindra executive recommended 13 titles that he said helped broaden his understanding of the world and his own professional journey.

Among the books he highlighted was The India Way by S Jaishankar, which explores India’s foreign policy in an increasingly multipolar global order. He also drew attention to Anirudh Kanisetti’s Lords of Earth and Sea, calling it an engaging account of the Chola Empire and a historical period that deserves wider attention.

Jejurikar’s list included Why I Am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor, which prompted him to revisit classic television adaptations of the Mahabharata and reflect on traditional storytelling.

On leadership and personal growth, he recommended Play to Potential by Deepak Jayaraman, noting that purpose-driven work has been central to his career. Other titles included Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees, which he said underscored the importance of empathy, and Simple, Not Easy by Raj Ganpath, which he described as a wellness read that encouraged introspection.

The reading list also featured books on entrepreneurship and global business, such as Another Way by Dave Whorton and Bo Burlingham, which advocates building “evergreen companies” focused on long-term value rather than short-term growth. For lighter reading, Jejurikar included thrillers like David Baldacci’s Nash Falls.

Technology and geopolitics rounded out the list, with recommendations such as Parmy Olson’s Supremacy, which explores the rise of artificial intelligence, and Dan Wang’s Breakneck, a comparative look at the United States and China. Ending his post on an interactive note, Jejurikar invited readers to share the books that shaped their own thinking in 2025 and offered to add suggestions to his 2026 reading list.